Espeakup and Speech-Dispatcher-git--Fighting again?

John Covici covici at ccs.covici.com
Mon Mar 25 22:42:38 EDT 2019 

I don't know if its being maintained, I have source for it which
worked, last time I tried it.  I can send it to you if you want to
test.  Since I compile everything this kind of thing works for me.

On Mon, 25 Mar 2019 01:29:28 -0400,
Janina Sajka wrote:
> 
> Hi, John:
> 
> I've never seen speechd_up packaged, not when I was running Fedora nor
> now that I'm running Arch. It seems quite the orphan as
> speech-dispatcher packaging isn't building it.
> 
> Is speechd_up still being maintained? Am I just not seeing the package?
> 
> Best,
> 
> Janina
> 
> John Covici writes:
> > This may be a dumb question, but why use espeakup at all, but run
> > speakup through speech dispatcher instead  using speechd-up?
> > 
> > On Sun, 24 Mar 2019 08:07:57 -0400,
> > Didier Spaier wrote:
> > > 
> > > Hi Janina,
> > > 
> > > alsa.conf is not attached, please send it, as well as the full
> > > output of:
> > > aplay -L
> > > 
> > > For a complete diagnose, please also do this:
> > > 1. Get the script alsa-info.sh:
> > > wget --no-check-certificate -nv http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-info.sh
> > > 2. Run it:
> > > sh alsa-info.sh --no-upload --output alsareport
> > > 3. Send the file alsareport (maybe only to me, it will be huge).
> > > 
> > > Anyway, my assumption from the information you already gave is that
> > > the sound modules for your cards are no loaded in the same order by
> > > udev at every boot, hence the changes in card numbering. This can
> > > probably be solved writing relevant commands in /etc/modprobe.d/alsa.conf.
> > > 
> > > Best,
> > > 
> > > Didier
> > > 
> > > 
> > > On 24/03/2019 10:25, Janina Sajka wrote:
> > > > Good Morning, Didier:
> > > > 
> > > > I'm attaching my /etc/modprobe.d/alsa.conf which works, except that I
> > > > seem to have some kind of error in the vendor or product ID for the
> > > > Steinberg UR22mkII, which is why it's commented out for now. This config
> > > > actually does reliably load each of my audio devices usefully, most of
> > > > the time anyway.
> > > > 
> > > > *	Espeakup is started by a systemctl enabled on boot
> > > > 
> > > > *	Speech-Dispatcher is started by hand with a startx after I'm
> > > > *	confident hw:0 is correctly assigned. Sometimes on boot, it's
> > > > *	missed entirely and the above devices are scrambled. That
> > > > *	requires a reboot to get them correctly ordered.
> > > > 
> > > > I have the Sennheiser headset set as alsa device in /etc/asound.conf for
> > > > the benefit of linphonec, which has started working again, though it seg
> > > > faults if I try to answer an incoming call.
> > > > 
> > > > The HDSP device has had driver issues off and on in the past few years.
> > > > It's a 20-year old high end audio device. I have the first generation
> > > > RME Multiface card. The Steinberg UR22mkII is arguably its peer, though
> > > > it doesn't provide the same array of inputs and outputs, most regretably
> > > > no s/pdif.
> > > > 
> > > > In any case, just to review, the problem of the moment is that doing the
> > > > startx to get the graphical desktop up with Orca sometimes kills all of
> > > > espeakup, and a restart puts espeakup on hw:2--making hw:2 unavailable
> > > > for linphonec which I use for teleconferences.
> > > > 
> > > > So, sometimes the system can boot without discovering its builtin,
> > > > onboard Intel HDA hardware. That's annoying because I seem unable to fix
> > > > it without a reboot.
> > > > 
> > > > And most recently, about half the time, startx is killing espeakup and a
> > > > restart of espeakup goes to the wrong card.
> > > > 
> > > > Sounds to me like espeakup needs to expose more capabilities--like Slink
> > > > does! <grin>
> > > > 
> > > > Didier, I want to thank you for providing the pulse to alsa translation,
> > > > i.e. pulse's sink equals alsa's pcm. It's a little tricky to intuit such
> > > > things sometimes.
> > > > 
> > > > Best,
> > > > 
> > > > Janina
> > > > 
> > > > Didier Spaier writes:
> > > >> Hi again, Janina,
> > > >>
> > > >> Yes it's Sunday now form <smile>
> > > >>
> > > >> Maybe if you provide the output of aplay -L
> > > >> and what sink (in PulesAudio parlance) or PCM device
> > > >> (in Alsa parlance) you want to dedicate to a specific
> > > >> usage we could try to help you get there.
> > > >>
> > > >> Time to sleep now for me, see you tomorrow (Paris time).
> > > >>
> > > >> Best,
> > > >>
> > > >> Didier
> > > >>
> > > >> On 23/03/2019 23:49, Janina Sajka wrote:
> > > >>> Hi Again, Didier:
> > > >>>
> > > >>> Speaking of late Saturday, I suspect it's Sunday for you by now! <grin>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> I think you're correct that I've been misunderstanding libao. In any
> > > >>> case having the plughw:1 in the alsa stanza wasn't harming anything.
> > > >>>
> > > >>> I'm currently booted with speech-dispatcher using also, so that
> > > >>> directive may actually be working. It's also possible, of course, that
> > > >>> it's just the next available card, because espeakup is definitely using
> > > >>> plughw:0, so :0 is locked up tight for espeak's use. That makes :1 the
> > > >>> next available card.
> > > >>>
> > > >>> In my /etc/asound.conf I have the default set for hw:2, because linphone
> > > >>> is no longer allowing me to specify the particular alsa device that is
> > > >>> my headset.
> > > >>>
> > > >>> Best,
> > > >>>
> > > >>> Janina
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> Didier Spaier writes:
> > > >>>> Hi Janina
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> Setting these two directives like this in speechd.conf won't ever work,
> > > >>>> I think:
> > > >>>> AudioOutputMethod "libao"
> > > >>>> AudioALSADevice "plughw:1"
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> In the first one you tell to use the libao audio output, but
> > > >>>> the second one is only used if you use the alsa audio output instead
> > > >>>> if I understand well.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> If initially the card # 1 used with speech-dispatcher thte is because
> > > >>>> of some other setting, I think. I don't know which one, you will
> > > >>>> need to a look ayour Arch configuration and sercice files to
> > > >>>> find oouT.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> So if you use the libao output (libao using in turn its alsa backend,
> > > >>>> I assume), you will have to find another way to set the card to use
> > > >>>> for speech managed by speech-dispatcher, than to do this setting in
> > > >>>> speechd.conf.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> One of the possibility would be a setting in /etc/asound.conf or
> > > >>>> in ~/.asoundrc
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> Oh, and you can't take the config file I sent you as is and hope
> > > >>>> it will work in Arch, as the settings in it have to be read by
> > > >>>> some script managing espeakup. This is the case in Slint but
> > > >>>> not in Arch. So if you want to use these settings in Arch you
> > > >>>> will have to find out by why script they should be used,
> > > >>>> and maybe modify it to read them.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> I can't resist to suggest that you try Slint instead <smile>.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> Best,
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> Didier
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> PS I received the answer from Cris while typing. But I don't
> > > >>>> think our answers contradict each other, fortunately. 	
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> On 23/03/2019 20:20, Janina Sajka wrote:
> > > >>>>> Hi, Didier:
> > > >>>>>
> > > >>>>> Once again you're providing some very helpful guidance. Thank you so
> > > >>>>> very much for that.
> > > >>>>>
> > > >>>>> Yes, I'm using arch, but I'm the other way around from what you're
> > > >>>>> saying. I'm using speech-dispatcher-git, but only the espeakup release
> > > >>>>> at the moment. The reason is that the current speech-dispatcher relase
> > > >>>>> isn't correctly accepting an alsa card designation, i.e. it won't honor
> > > >>>>> these two directives in speechd.conf:
> > > >>>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>>
> > > >>>>> I am now going to put your espeakup script in place on my machine and
> > > >>>>> try a reboot. I will report.
> > > >>>>>
> > > >>>>> Thank you for this script. I wasn't aware all these directives could be
> > > >>>>> included. This should solve my problem, I hope! <grin>
> > > >>>>>
> > > >>>>> Janina
> > > >>>>>
> > > >>>>> Didier Spaier writes:
> > > >>>>>> Hi Janina,
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>> IIRC you are running Arch. Right?
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>> If yes, looking at the PKGBUILD I see that it grabs a snapshot from
> > > >>>>>> git at the commit d25ed10d dated 22 nov. 2018:
> > > >>>>>> https://github.com/brailcom/speechd/commit/d25ed10d5ede8c0f747211928fbd5f742d753556
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>> So I am puzzled that you just get it, knowing the PKGBUILD was last updated
> > > >>>>>> on 24. Nov. 2018...
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>> So, I can't see a reason for speech-dispatcher be in concern for an issue
> > > >>>>>> occurring this week.
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>> And espeakup-git (if that's what you use) was last updated on
> > > >>>>>> 2019-01-03 18:14.
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>> So I am puzzled. I don't know what happened recently, but this issue should be
> > > >>>>>> reported to your distribution rather than to upstream IMHO.
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>> Also, a tip: you can set ALSA_CARD before starting espeakup, it will
> > > >>>>>> honor this setting. This how we now do in Slint, cf. attached file
> > > >>>>>> /etc/espeakup.conf.
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>> To know which files are involved in Arch, have a look at the bottom
> > > >>>>>> of https://aur.archlinux.org/cgit/aur.git/tree/PKGBUILD?h=espeakup-git
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>> Sorry I can't provide further guidance, not running Arch.
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>> Best,
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>> Didier
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>>
> > > >>>>>> On 22/03/2019 15:43, Janina Sajka wrote:
> > > >>>>>>> I tend to update globally about once a week, usually on Fridays. With
> > > >>>>>>> today's update of Speech-Dispatcher-git Espeakup is broken.
> > > >>>>>>>
> > > >>>>>>> 1.)	I boot to a console login. Works as expected. Speakup speaks
> > > >>>>>>> with Espeak on hw:0. Yes, I'm using alsa, not pulse.
> > > >>>>>>>
> > > >>>>>>> 2.)	I launch the graphical desktop with startx and Orca comes up
> > > >>>>>>> over Speech-Dispatcher using libao on hw:1 as specified in speechd.conf.
> > > >>>>>>>
> > > >>>>>>> 3.)	Switching back to any console, speech is gone. Doing a systemctl
> > > >>>>>>> restart espeakup puts speech on hw:2.
> > > >>>>>>>
> > > >>>>>>> This is bonkers.
> > > >>>>>>>
> > > >>>>>>> PS: Isn't it time we could control what device the soft synth driver
> > > >>>>>>> speaks to with a configuration option? Perhaps an additional parameter
> > > >>>>>>> in /etc/conf.d/espeakup?
> > > >>>>>>>
> > > >>>>>>> Or is it supposed to be in /etc/speakup/espeakup?
> > > >>>>>>>
> > > >>>>>>> Both those configs say basically the same thing, but they're not
> > > >>>>>>> symlinked. Why?
> > > >>>>>>>
> > > >>>>>
> > > >>>
> > > > 
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Speakup mailing list
> > > Speakup at linux-speakup.org
> > > http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> > 
> > -- 
> > Your life is like a penny.  You're going to lose it.  The question is:
> > How do
> > you spend it?
> > 
> >          John Covici wb2una
> >          covici at ccs.covici.com
> 
> -- 
> 
> Janina Sajka
> 
> Linux Foundation Fellow
> Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup:	http://a11y.org
> 
> The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
> Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures	http://www.w3.org/wai/apa
> 

-- 
Your life is like a penny.  You're going to lose it.  The question is:
How do
you spend it?

         John Covici wb2una
         covici at ccs.covici.com

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